Quantum-fluctuation-initiated Coherent Raman Comb in Hydrogen-filled Hollow-core Photonic Crystal Fibre

Book excerpt: This thesis explores the generation and the coherence properties of Raman frequency combs that are initiated from vacuum fluctuations using hydrogen-filled hollow-core photonic crystal fibre (HC-PCF). The motivation is to explore a novel route for generating attosecond pulses and waveform synthesis. To this end, work has been undertaken in the design and fabrication of HC-PCF, in the generation of Raman comb with a compact set-up and finally in an experimental demonstration of the mutual coherence between the comb spectral components. Here, the well-established photonic bandgap (PBG) HC-PCF is further developed. Surface mode spectral positions are controlled by chemical etching technique, and a single piece of fibre with two robust bandgaps is fabricated. Furthermore, the second established class of HC-PCF; namely large-pitch Kagome-lattice HC-PCF, has experienced challenging developments. This led to the fabrication of a hypocycloid-core seven-cell Kagome HC-PCF with comparable attenuation value to that of PBG HC-PCF while offering much larger bandwidth. Using the fabricated HC-PCF, different Raman frequency comb systems are developed. In addition to the previously-generated multi-octave Raman frequency comb from a large 1064 nm Nd:YAG Q-switch laser, several more compact version of Raman comb sources have been developed, including one whose lines lay in the visible and UV for applications in forensics and biomedicine. The Raman frequency comb generated inside a length of hydrogen-filled HC-PCF is further investigated by studying the coherence of the Raman lines. Despite of vacuum-fluctuation-initiation, it is demonstrated that the comb has self- and mutualcoherence properties within each single shot, bringing thus the possibility of generating attosecond pulses with non-classical properties.